Craze
by Smashed Sunshine
Summary: The time is set and hope is all that's left to grasp at...but Mulder's bored. Sometimes change is a good thing, so when an unusual case presents itself an unusual theory arises. The question is though, does he believe it?


**Authors Note:  **This is my first dip into the world that is the X Files – Please be nice. I hope you enjoy this simple one shot fiction about relationships. In this there is the beginning of a plot, but it is not completed. I am using it as a basis for the story, so I hope no one minds too much.

**Disclaimer: **As always, I own nothing but the words.

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**Craze**

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'Within this universe there are millions upon millions of worlds all existing in the same space of human time. Each level has a different concept and perception which shapes the earth around them. It is often mankind's mistake when they believe that the world was created and then moulded to their needs. In the reality of it all the world became whatever the creatures believed what it was.  Some have low sweeping valleys that go on as far as the eye can see. Others are consumed by water, with only the sea creatures roaming the world. Some worlds are flat, others round or cube. Between them there are many similarities and differences, but there is no direct bridge between the two. Often one world will co-exist with another whilst being completely unaware of it. They will believe themselves to be completely alone. How wrong could they be?

'Though there is no physical link between these different worlds, one can often affect the others. If one world suffers due to war or famine, then the other worlds will also suffer. Each one shares the others fate and when one finally dies, the rest will shortly follow. It is also found that between some worlds there is a special bond between two people that is like no other. 

'Bonds can be very strong and ones that exist over universes are exceptionally beautiful in every way. They connect the souls and spirits of the chosen people in every way possible. Though these people don't know who it is, they constantly feel the presence of something more then anything they could ever imagine. It is a constant weight on their heart and though they may search for the connection they crave, nothing will ever compare to the dreams that echo their hearts desire.'

Silence reigned throughout the small dingy room, the people within it stood speechless and solid in defiance of the words spilling out of his mouth. They didn't want to believe a word that he said – there was no possible way there could be any truth to a single word he spoke. Then again, wasn't that usually the way? At least these people were reliable enough to be unchanging in their reactions. 

'So when Maureen McAlister awoke on that Friday afternoon she was filled with a powerful sense of love. She had that rush that only some people ever truly feel. For that split second she felt loved beyond this reality. It was a powerful force not to be reckoned with.'

Again no one spoke a word and just stared at him stonily. The room was dark, with only the projector light to show the looks imprinted on their faces. Some held a certain degree of humour, others waited for him to continue to speak. 

'What your saying then is that she felt so loved she killed her husband with a blunt butter knife…?' came the sceptic retort. 

He smiled slightly. Well they had to stick to the same old pattern didn't they? It would be shocking if for once someone actually agreed with him straight off. No it would take convincing on his part, which always wasted a lot of time and energy.   

'Simply stated, then yes that is what drove her to murder. If we look at the complications of it though, we'll begin to see that there might have been a controlling force at work in this case. Having talked to Mrs McAlister personally, I feel that we should under no certain terms ignore this case,' he said as he observed his partners. 'A woman could die if we don't help her.'

'Even for you Mulder, I think this is pushing the boundaries of reality just a little too far,' Doggett finally spoke up from the back of the small office the X Files now resided in. 'Shouldn't we just concentrate on the technicalities of the invasion, instead of helping some half crazed woman who is trying to get herself off the lethal injection by spouting some half baked theory?'

'That's a fair point Agent Doggett but, as I'm sure you'll be aware, we are dealing with the paranormal. Not just the invasion,' his voice was tense as he slowly tried to remain calm. Sometimes these people just didn't understand that there was more to cases then simply aliens. 'It is a possibility that this woman has been hallucinated into committing the crime. Made to believe that she could find more love then she had with her so called husband.'

'Mulder,' Scully said with an edge of warning. 'I think Agent Doggett might be right. We should be concentrating on the invasion.'

He smiled again and shook his head. Taking a step back he seated himself on the edge of his desk, then rubbed his forehead wearily. When he looked back up his eyes immediately connected to hers and a smile curled his lips. 'Come on Scully…there's nine years until the invasion. Even you have to admit that chasing UFO's for that amount of time would become boring!'

'As I recall Mulder, that's what we've spent the last ten doing anyway,' she retorted with a hint of a smile. 

'Not solely, Scully,' he tilted his head to the side. 'Don't you think it might be even the smallest bit interesting?'

She laughed slightly and covered her mouth with a hand. Her head slipped forward, her other arm crossed round her stomach, her red hair fell forward. It made him smile again at the familiarity of everything she did. It was so natural and he'd missed it when he'd been away hunting down the truth. Now he knew it though, he'd rather have been with her and William. 

It was best not to think like that though. What was done was done and there was no way to take any of it back. Well…there wasn't any human way, he contemplated inwardly. Somewhere out there, someone was probably stuck in a bubble of time having the time of their lives. 

'Let's say I believe that somewhere out there I have a sole partner - the only problem is he's worlds apart from me. Why would that idea make me want to kill the man I had in my reality?' she said as she paced over to a chair and sat neatly onto it. Her eyes scanned the picture projected onto the wall. Gesturing over to the image she continued, 'And why would I be inclined to do it immediately with the first weapon that came to me? Wouldn't it have been simpler for me to bide my time and then kill him with something a little more…severe?' 

'It's a crime of passion Scully. Even the police agree with me on this one,' he said as he watched her intently. 'It was in her hand when her husband entered the kitchen. She was buttering toast for his breakfast.'

Ever since Mulder had gone to trial and found guilty of murder, he'd known the rest of his life was going to have to be secretive. Not only had the FBI disposed of the old X Files, but Assistant Director Skinner had been removed from any position of power within the system. Outraged at this exclusion, he had quit the bureau and taken up residence in Roswell. Here Mulder had joined him and together they had re-established the X Files within the basement of Skinner's small home.   No longer did they have the freedom of movement allowed by the FBI, but they found ways. Scully, Reyes and Doggett were all still within the bureau's power and as long as they kept these meetings secret then there was a source of information. 

In the first few days he had managed to compile enough data on significant cases to restart the investigation. Even if the date was set, there was hope that they still might be able to save mankind from a hideous fate. 

'So what exactly is it you want us to investigate Mulder?' Doggett's voice cut into his thoughts. 

'I want you to see the psychiatrist who was treating Mrs McAlister for post natal depression and the doctor who delivered the child. Then I would like you to get in touch with the author of the theory I have read to you this morning. I've tried using the internet to track him down, but without the manpower I have found it…trying. Then when you've talked to those three, I would like you to send me the reports,' he turned away from the people sitting in the room and looked to the image sprawled out on the wall.

A man in his late forties was sprawled out, face down, on a wooden floor. The wood was stained by splatters of blood and what appeared to be vomit. At the time he had found that strange, but having asked Mrs McAlister, he had found out that it had been porridge that she had thrown at him. He had wondered why she would be making porridge for him, if she was already making toast. The reply he had received had seemed plausible. Apparently the late Mr McAlister didn't like to be kept waiting, so wanted them both at the same time.

'And whilst we do all this work, you'll be doing what?' Doggett persisted. 

Mulder sighed again and turned back. 'Working with what I have.'

'Space Invaders then,' Scully teased in mock seriousness.

'Look that was a one off!' he complained. 'It wasn't my fault the man thought he was part of a space invaders game…'

Scully rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same.

'Anyway,' he pouted, digging a pencil into the desk, 'I was thinking of decorating this place to make it a bit more cheerful.'

Everyone in the room looked around at the four walls surrounding them. They were painted in magenta when the previous owner had rented it out to students. In the corner was a bed and a TV, which served as Mulders' home. There were posters of aliens and half naked girls pinned around the room, along with some photos of UFO's. It wasn't exactly a serious setting for these meetings, but they weren't the ones who had to live there.

Every face came back to him with a half horrified, half blank look. A smile curled the corner of his mouth and he itched to laugh at them all. He held the urge back though. 'So I suppose this is meeting over.'

'Meeting over?' Skinner chimed in. 'Aren't we even going to mention that the invasion is coming fast?'

Mulder looked over at him. 'You said it yourself Skinman. Meeting over!'

They all looked at each other in a mystified manner, but no one spoke up. Scully was smiling to herself, as she observed them all wondering what they were supposed to do next.

'Well…' Skinner said slowly. 'I have beer and cookies upstairs if anyone wants some?'

Doggett glanced at Monica, who in turn shrugged and soon they were filing out of the room leaving Mulder and Scully alone. His eyes went to her briefly, before he turned away and turned the projector off. His fingers sought the switch out along the side of the cool metal contraption, then finding the bump of a tell tale switch, he clicked it off plunging the room into darkness. 

'So Miss FBI lady,' he said innocently, 'something for the weekend?'

'That's not even the slightest bit funny Mulder,' she replied with what he knew was a smile. 'Where's the light switch?'

'Would you like the clean or dirty answer to that?' 

'Mulder…' she warned lightly.

He sighed dramatically, crossed the room in a couple of bounds and turned the light on. Blinking a couple of times, he allowed his eyes to adjust before looking back at her. It had been a month since they had last spent time alone together. With her working for the FBI and him a wanted man, it was seldom that she had a chance to come and see him. Normally it would be with Doggett and Reyes for a meeting, which depressed him somewhat. He missed her when she was gone. Never would he be able to simply go out and see her though. If he did they would lock him up, and then administer the lethal injection.

'So…how have you been?' she said with a formal smile. 

'I missed you.'

Scully smiled and looked away with a shake of her head. 'I don't know Mulder; you still have the ability to surprise and shock me!'

'Is that a good thing?' he said with a broad smile. 'Or should I be looking into kicking that habit of mine?'

'It's a good thing…most of the time.'

'Then why, Agent Scully, are you still sat over there?'

His tone was serious, but he knew she was used to this banter. To him she was his best friend, partner and lover – though recently it seemed she was only a part-time lover. Sometimes he felt like a housewife at home all day, waiting for her to come home from a long day at work. The problem was she didn't come home every night after work. 

'Because, unlike some people, I've been rushed off my feet working on a case involving Russian spies and I'm knackered,' she said in all frankness. 'In fact what I would really like right now is a hot chocolate and a neck rub, not to be assigned more work.'

'You could always give up and come live with me down here in the basement…' he suggested softly. 

'As appealing as that sounds, I would feel like a teenager sneaking about with my boyfriend while daddy sits upstairs keeping guard – making sure we weren't doing anything we shouldn't.' 

'Now I don't think Skinner's that old!' 

'Mulder that is not the point I am trying to make…'

'What is the point you are trying to make then Scully?'

'I'm simply saying that it would be awkward living in a basement, with Skinner not ten feet away from us,' she spoke softly, but it was obvious he was starting to get to her. 'It would be easier for you to come live with me!' she joked.

'Okay, let's do that then.'

'No!' Scully said and stood up. 'We are not doing that!'

'Why not? You suggested it after all.'

She looked at him and crossed her arms across her chest. Her eyes had dark clouds underneath them, proving to him that she was tired, and her attitude seemed tense. Maybe she had been working too hard for too long. She was right by implying that he wasn't helping her any. All he did was give her more work to do. 

'It's too close to home Mulder. They would catch scent of you and in turn catch you. Then what would I do with myself?' she was deadly serious now. There was no possible way he could imagine what it must have been like to think he was dead – to have no hope of return. It had been during a time when she had needed him the most. In that and many other senses, he had failed her. 'Anyway, who even said I wanted to live with you?'

'Aw come on Scully, you know it'd be fun.'

'So you really think you've found the root to Mrs McAlister's case?' she said changing the conversation purposefully. 'Because your theory is a bit far fetched.'

He stepped over to her, and pulled her close. Leaning forward he kissed her lips lightly and pulled her into a hug. 'Did I tell you that you look beautiful today?' he whispered into her hair.

'You are not going to get round me with flattery Mulder,' she whispered. 

'Mom always said that flattery could get you everywhere…' the suggestiveness in his tone was apparent. 'I have missed you.'

Scully pulled back gently and smiled at him. 'How much?'

'I'll show you,' he said with a wink as he leaned down to kiss her again.

xXx

Opening her eyes, the first thing that filtered through to her brain was that she wasn't at home. It didn't take a lot to compile a list that attributed to this. It was pitch black and there appeared to be no windows. She could hear the television upstairs blaring out some forgotten tune. The bed she was lying on was hard and uncomfortable, unlike the soft one she had at home. Her body had no room for movement. She was naked and smelt of Mulder. Then there was the arm draped over her. 

Rolling her neck slowly, she brushed away the arm and sat up. She rubbed her eyes with heavy hands, and squinted round the room in the appallingly bad light. No, she decided, it didn't look any better then when it wasn't all clearly visible. A sigh escaped her lips. 'Oh well.'

She glanced over her shoulder and smiled slightly at the sleeping Mulder. It was amazing how peaceful and inoffensive he looked when he was asleep – sometimes she wished he was like this all the time. It would have saved a lot of time and stress on her behalf if he'd been this passive over the years she'd worked with him.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she stood up and stretched her arms up. Her eyes searched for something to cover herself up with. Her own clothing seemed to be distributed all around the room in crumpled heaps. Another sigh escaped her lips – he would be paying for the dry cleaning that was for sure. Taking a step forward her foot brushed against something. 'That'll do,' she whispered to herself scooping up Mulder's shirt.

'You do realise that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, don't you Scully?' came the sleepy voice from the bed. 

'Well you would know Mulder,' she looked back at him as she buttoned up the shirt. 'You do have a tendency to talk yourself most of the time.'

He smiled up at her from where he lay. 'Actually it's usually that the people I'm talking to are invisible to the human eye.'

'I always knew there was something extra-terrestrial about you Mulder. Thanks for clearing that one up. I was considering filing you as your own X File.'

'Ouch Scully,' he whispered. 'That one hurt.'

She smiled and seated herself on the corner of the bed. Her eyes scanned over him with a hint of a smile curling the corner of her mouth. There was something ever so charming about a slightly crumpled Mulder that she found hard to resist. He may well be an arrogant pig some of the time, but these little moments made up for that. His fingers reached up and pushed a strand of hair away from her face. It was such an intimate gesture, that she couldn't help but smile.

'Mulder…' she paused, unsure of whether to question him on her minds thoughts. 

'Scully…?' 

'You don't really believe in this theory of yours do you?' 

He growled gently, grabbed his pillow and covered his face with it. After a muffled cry of exasperation escaped the feathers of the pillow, his head remerged perfectly calm. 'Would you like to tell me why you don't?'

'I have a concern…If this theory were to be believed then it would mean no one could ever truly be happy.' She sounded unsure, but was determined to finish her line of thought. 'To consider it logically, would suggest that we, as humans in this universe, are settling for second best. Erm, that we can never possibly find, what many would consider, our "soul mates". This in turn would mean that by believing this theory, you'd know that what you had was pale in comparison to what you could have. Wouldn't that make people miserable?'

His eyes watched her intently as she spoke, giving her the impression that he was truly listening to her. That had always been a quality of Mulder's throughout the past ten years. When someone spoke, it could be guaranteed that he would be listening closely to every word. It also meant that when he wasn't listening, you knew there was something wrong. Scully considered comforting to know that some things never changed.

'Do you believe in soul mates Scully?' he questioned quietly.

'I believe that you will find people on the same emotional level as you. Also that for there to be an attraction, there must be opposing views. Though whether or not everyone has a perfect mate, I think I can safely say there isn't.'

'What makes you so sure?'

'Well, depending on what your beliefs are, humans were put on this earth for one reason – to copulate with the opposite sex and multiply. Erm, to spread their seed and keep the continuation of the race at high odds,' she said evenly. 'I think that the idea of having someone perfect for you is simply a creation of lonely people.'

'Hmm,' Mulder nodded, before sitting up off the bed. 'You're not second best you know.'

'I never said I was…' she dismissed with ease. 'I'm simply saying that if you believed that you could also believe you were second best and that you will never be loved truly.'

Leaning forward, he brushed a light kiss against the back of her neck. 'I know you're not second best.'

'How can you be so sure, when you're willing to believe there's someone perfect for you out of reach?' 

'Because I know what I feel right at this moment,' another kiss was brushed against her skin, eliciting a shiver from her. 'I know that if there is someone else out there, then they don't even compare to you.'

'What if you found out you did though? What if you wake up one morning and feel what this woman felt? Wouldn't that mean that I am insignificant?' she continued to argue. 'What's there to say this won't happen?'

'I've spent a long time uncertain of most things, Scully. This is not one of those things. It's taken us ten years to reach this point and we've certainly been through more then your average couple. Plus the fact you are my one and only out of this entire world. Even if there are other worlds, I don't care about them because of what I have right here,' he whispered slowly into her ear.

'You haven't answered the question,' she whispered in reply, leaning back against him and closing her eyes. 

'What was the question again?'

She laughed lightly and snuggled up to him. 'You don't think Skinner knows what we've just done down here do you?'

'Of course he knows! After all there's only so much porn that can satisfy a man's needs…'


End file.
